The discovery late last month of several animal heads in a plastic bag is more evidence of animal sacrifice rituals, according to the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Over the last year and a half, the SPCA has investigated multiple complaints about chickens that appear to have been sacrificed, and the Feb. 25 discovery in East Greenwich has added another case to the list.
Earlier this year:$5,000 reward offered for information on ‘sacrificial killings’ of chickens in RI
The plastic bag, found near a boat launch by Water Street, contained what appeared to be a calf head, several rooster heads, a lamb head and a kid goat head, according to the SPCA.
“It is believed that animal remains that were found were from animals that were sacrificed as part of a religious ritual,” the SPCA said in a news release.
The plastic bag also included “grains and colored materials associated with previous animal sacrifice investigations,” the SPCA said.
Two hand-drawn pictures were also in the bag, and the SPCA is asking for help from anyone who knows the significance of the drawings.
In early February, the Humane Society of the United States announced it was supporting an SPCA investigation by offering a reward of up to $5,000 for help finding whoever is responsible for the “ritualistic sacrificial killings” of about a dozen chickens in Rhode Island.
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The first chickens were found around City Hall in Warwick. Investigators believe the birds were killed somewhere else and taken to City Hall, according to the Humane Society. Dead birds have also been found in a Woonsocket park, a cemetery, a front yard and on the side of the road, the Humane Society said.
“The manner in which these animals are being killed is brutal and not consistent with humane killings that would meet religious exemptions,” the Rhode Island SPCA said last month.
The SPCA is again asking for the public’s help. It asks anyone with knowledge of the significance of the drawings or with information about the animal remains to contact RISPCA Special Agent Earl Newman at (401) 438-8150 x3.
From 2020:Horse owner arrested, charged with cruelty; 2 horses seized
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